The Family Plan

This was a cute movie, where Marky Mark (also producer here) is in a physical shape that is truly exceptional, and married to a beautiful wife with only a very civilized age gap. There's product placement, but not too much. There's staggering violence, but it's all squeaky clean so it can be a Xmas movie. All the supporting cast is ethnic just the right amount. The family is flush with tremendous cash, which helps plot advancement as well as beautiful cinematography / scenes.

It was very enjoyable, assuming enough suspension of disbelief. The whole thing is obviously very predictable, but it's executed nicely. Everybody but the teenage daughter is world-class level at something, so while it's promoting family values, it is, for a change, not promoting mediocrity.

I watched this while cycling indoors, was perfect to get me through my winter workout.

Part action, part comedy, here comes a Mark Wahlberg movie that is both typical for this actor, but also something you likely saw (or close to) in the past. That said, its 2023 and almost everything has been done already, so the real question is this. Is it well done this time? Is it fun? And the answer is yes.

The movie take a bit of inspiration in True Lies but put its own spin on family road trip comedy with some "We are the Millers" vibe, while injecting some decent action sequences in there.

Having a runtime of 2 hours make sure the movie put enough emphasis on the familly relations and developing its characters, wich can be a definite plus, but at the same time i felt the movie dragged a tiny bit in the first half. Maybe 10-15 minutes could had been cut. But it didn't detract from my enjoyment.

Mark Wahlberg is definately in pretty solid shape still, wich make his character completely credible, but he ain't no martial artist so seeing him go toe to toe with Lateef Crowder (a Copeira expert) did showcase some of his shortcoming. That said, that scene was meant as a mix of comedy and action and not to be taken too seriously so for most peoples who are not martial arts afficionados, it should not be a problem. The rest of the action including gun scenes were well done.

Michelle Monaghan is also pretty solid in her role as the mom of the familly. Charming and charismatic. The kids also got to have enough screen time and developement that they felt usefull and interesting in the story. Every character pretty much as its own arc.

Overall its a movie that i taught was pretty enjoyable on a first watch. It is a mix between comedy and action but at the same time since it never fully commit to either side, you can't say its a super funny comedy or a big action movie. It is a bit of everything and it makes for a good story tough.

Ultimately not every movie is meant to be watch multiple times and considering Apple TV+ has a pretty limited selection of mainstream original movies (Ghosted being one of the few great ones), it is a welcome addition that both casual viewers and cinephile should enjoy.

There is no denying this is another take on the Schwarzenegger - TRUE LIES movie.

I think where this film succeeds is in showing how the secrets Dan/Sean kept for all those years impacted his family. From the routine ways in which he showed his wife how much he loved her to the lack of ability to connect with his children.

It is only when he is forced to bring his secrets into the light with his family is he truly able to connect with them.

While it may not feel fresh, this movie does a good job at paying homage to the original as well as offering something new.

Wahlberg, Monaghan, Colletti, and Crosby do a fine job bringing the characters to life in fun and enjoyable ways.

While this movie may not win any awards - it is certainly a fun watch.

(Mostly) family friendly and predictable movie, but nice to have an option to put on and watch with the family and enjoy. You don't have to be a plot savant to figure out what is going on and how it will end, but there are enough comedic moments and well cut scenes to keep you engaged if you are just watching to enjoy some family time. As I read another reviewer state, it's a great watch it and forget it type of move. Entertainment for the sake of entertainment! Having said that, there is the reminder of the importance of family and the struggles of raising teenagers. They hit a few of these points spot on. Make more of these types of movies so I can enjoy them with the family please.

Reading the negative audience reviews here, it's as if many of the people decided to watch The Family Plan without any idea about what they might get with a Mark Wahlberg, family-oriented action-comedy. This ain't Oppenheimer, folks. My wife and I had zero expectations when we tuned in and this movie more than surpassed the low bar we had set. It was cute, funny, and mildly action-oriented, with better than expected acting and a few moments that were actually pretty funny and heart-warming. If you're looking for a potential Oscar nominee, you're looking in the wrong place. But, if you want to pass a few hours and walk away with a smile on your face (like the adorable baby in this movie), you really won't go wrong with The Family Plan.